A well known type of bedding or seating product comprises a spring assembly which includes a number of discrete coil springs, each of which is enclosed in a fabric pocket in a length of folded fabric material. Longitudinal axes of the coil springs are generally parallel with one another so that the top and bottom end turns of the coil springs define top and bottom faces of the spring assembly. A row of such pocketed springs is known in the industry as a string of pocketed springs. A bedding or seating product can be fabricated from such strings of pocketed springs by binding or adhering the individual rows or strings of pocketed springs together to form a spring assembly which may be padded and encased in an upholstered covering. U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,122, which is fully incorporated by reference herein, discloses one such method of adhesively bonding strings of pocketed springs together to form a spring assembly.
This type of spring assembly is commonly referred to as a pocketed spring assembly due to the fact that each spring is contained within an individual pocket of fabric material. The construction of strings of pocketed coil springs is well known in the art and, for example, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The system disclosed in that patent includes a spring coiler which forms a coil spring which is subsequently compressed and inserted between the plies of folded pocketing fabric material. Other systems for manufacturing pocketed coil spring assemblies are disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. WO94/18116 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,697, each of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Pocketed spring assemblies are generally recognized to have a unique and particular luxurious feel to them and mattresses manufactured of such pocketed spring assemblies provide a feeling of softness without lacking spring resilience or support. Mattresses and similar articles constructed of pocketed spring assemblies are often considered a high-end type of product because of the added benefits and features of the pocketed coil springs. Mattresses and the like of this type can be more costly to manufacture and assemble as a result of the considerable amount of time and labor which is involved in their manufacture, together with the fact that the method of fabrication and assembly of such pocketed spring assemblies can be complicated, particularly in an automated process.
One particular aspect of the commercial production of pocketed spring assemblies and the associated mattresses or the like is the handling of such assemblies in the factories. The manipulation and movement of the various components of the spring assembly from station to station or various areas of the factories can be cumbersome, difficult and inconvenient depending on the particular production facilities and assembly techniques.
Additionally, while pocketed spring assemblies are considered to provide a combination of softness and support, the ability to economically posturize a spring assembly or mattress of pocketed spring coils has heretofore been difficult. Posturization provides multiple zones or sections of differing firmnesses within a product such as a mattress. For example, the middle regions of the mattress, which typically support a person's torso, often require a firmer more resilient support while other areas of the mattress which support the feet and head of a person require a softer feel.
One known method of posturizing a pocketed spring assembly has been to incorporate springs made of different gauge wire into the strings of springs. For example, the springs incorporated into the strings of springs within certain sections or zones of the spring assembly are made of a larger gauge wire than the springs incorporated into the strings of springs of the other sections or zones of the spring assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,464 discloses this concept, albeit with continuous bands of springs as opposed to individual springs.
Another known method of posturizing a pocketed spring assembly has been to incorporate multiple springs into select pockets of a strings of springs. For example, within certain sections or zones of the pocketed spring assembly multiple springs are inserted into the pockets of the strings of springs to increase the firmness of those sections or zones of the product relative to the other sections or zones of the product. U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,435 discloses a method of posturizing a pocketed spring product in this manner. One difficulty with making such a posturized pocketed spring assembly is that additional springs are required, thereby increasing the cost of the product.
Therefore, there is a need for a posturized pocketed spring assembly and associated method of manufacture which offers the advantages of posturization of the spring assembly without the higher manufacturing costs, production difficulties and inefficiencies associated with known posturized pocketed spring assemblies.